Long-term datasets in biodiversity research and monitoring: assessing change in ecological communities through time

The growing need for baseline data against which efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss can be judged highlights the importance of long-term datasets, some of which are as old as ecology itself. We review methods of evaluating change in biodiversity at the community level using these datase...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trends in ecology & evolution (Amsterdam) 2010-10, Vol.25 (10), p.574-582
Main Authors: Magurran, Anne E., Baillie, Stephen R., Buckland, Stephen T., Dick, Jan McP, Elston, David A., Scott, E. Marian, Smith, Rognvald I., Somerfield, Paul J., Watt, Allan D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biodiversity
Databases, Factual
Ecology - methods
Humans
Time Factors
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Summary:The growing need for baseline data against which efforts to reduce the rate of biodiversity loss can be judged highlights the importance of long-term datasets, some of which are as old as ecology itself. We review methods of evaluating change in biodiversity at the community level using these datasets, and contrast whole-community approaches with those that combine information from different species and habitats. As all communities experience temporal turnover, one of the biggest challenges is distinguishing change that can be attributed to external factors, such as anthropogenic activities, from underlying natural change. We also discuss methodological issues, such as false alerts and modifications in design, of which users of these data sets need to be aware.
ISSN:0169-5347
1872-8383
DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2010.06.016